While Thursday’s release of the Sun Belt’s 2012 football schedule didn’t bring as much fanfare as the SEC or Big 12 schedule release, it did give us a chance to look at which other conferences love the Sun Belt. Specifically which of the other 10 FBS conferences love playing against the Sun Belt.

And no one loves playing/beating the Sun Belt more than the SEC, especially Mississippi State.

Three of the Bulldogs' four non-conference games are against Sun Belt members Troy, South Alabama and Middle Tennessee. Their fourth non-conference game is against FCS member Jackson State. I guess there were no Division III teams available that week.

Anyway, Mississippi State is among nine SEC schools that will play Sun Belt schools this fall in a total of 12 non-conference games. The only SEC schools without a Sun Belt team on the schedule is Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. Defending national champion Alabama’s schedule features two Sun Belt opponents: Western Kentucky and Florida Atlantic.

After the SEC, Conference USA has the most schools (six) playing Sun Belt opponents with a total of eight games.

Mississippi State is one of five schools with multiple Sun Belt opponents. Alabama, Memphis, Tulane and Navy each have two Sun Belt non-conference games.

The only FBS league that isn’t playing the Sun Belt is the WAC.

Last year, the Sun Belt was only 10-25 in non-conference games against FBS opponents, including a 1-2 bowl record.

NEW ORLEANS – Based on Alabama’s dominating performance in Monday night’s BCS title game, the Crimson Tide are ranked No. 1 on my final Associated Press ballot.

Alabama (12-1) was ranked No. 3 on my final regular season ballot, but the Tide were impressive enough to leap LSU and Oklahoma State. LSU (13-1) may have had the most impressive regular season in college football history, but I only ranked the Tigers No. 2

Despite Oklahoma State’s victory against Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl, I dropped the Cowboys from No. 2 to No. 3. Their victory wasn’t dominating enough for me to keep Oklahoma State (12-1) in my top two.

Here is my final AP ballot for 2011. Last week’s rankings in parenthesis.

STILLWATER, Okla. – With Oklahoma State’s dominating victory against Oklahoma, earning the Cowboys their first Big 12 championship, I moved OSU up to No. 2 on my final regular season Associated Press ballot.

TAMPA, Fla. – Gary Garcia, the father of former South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia, said his son was dismissed from the program Tuesday for “having a couple of beers,” which violated the zero tolerance policy Stephen had agreed to abide by.

“We have a lot of decisions to make right now,” Gary Garcia told CBSSports.com Tuesday afternoon. “We don’t know what his options are yet. We’re trying to absorb everything that’s happened. It’s happened so quickly.”

Gary Garcia was with his son in Columbia, S.C., helping Stephen pack to return to their hometown of Tampa, Fla. Garcia graduated in May.

“Obviously, he’s responsible for his own actions, which we’ve told him from the beginning,” Gary Garcia told The Tampa Tribune. “The stuff he did in the beginning, he should’ve known better than that. He should’ve made better decisions. We understand that.

“I don’t hold the university responsible for it. Stephen did it. He should be responsible. You only get so many chances.”

Stephen Garcia had been suspended – and reinstated five times. He told CBSSports.com after the Gamecocks’ season opening victory against East Carolina how appreciative he was of getting one final chance.

"Once I was told the conditions (to meet) in order for me to return, I knew I would be able to come back and just get it done,” Garcia said on Sept. 3. “Get back on the team at whatever cost. I don't know where I'd be right now if Coach (Steve) Spurrier, (athletic director) Mr. (Eric) Hyman and President Dr. (Harris) Pastides didn't give me the conditions and allow me one more final chance."

Spurrier said he was “saddened this has occurred.”

“We all feel like we’ve given Stephen numerous opportunities to be a student-athlete here at South Carolina,” Spurrier said in a statement. “Obviously, he has chosen not to follow the guidelines of his reinstatement contract. We wish him the best.”

Gary Garcia said his son had agreed to a zero tolerance to return to the team in the summer.

“I don’t know many college kids who can handle zero tolerance, but those were the choices we had,” Gary Garcia said. “You could second-guess yourself. Should he have even come back here? Go somewhere else?

"He made a commitment to South Carolina and his teammates. He wanted to win a championship. He had a chance this year. God works in mysterious ways. I don’t know what’s ahead for him, but it will be something.”

Gary Garcia said it was almost a sense of relief for his son and the chance for a fresh start. He said his son does not have an alcohol problem.

“I don’t think he has to get anything squared away,” Gary Garcia told the Tribune. “He has been doing well. I don’t think he’s a loose cannon. He’s a wannabe college student who has a lot of eyes on him.

“To start off like he started (with numerous suspensions) was not on level ground. He was below the ground. At home, he’ll be a lot more conscientious. The players and coaches here (at South Carolina), they’ve called and texted him. They just think he’s a college kid. Leave him alone. Everything he does gets reported. He’s an SEC quarterback. He’s not Tim Tebow. But there’s only one Tim Tebow, I know.”

Gary Garcia said he plans to eventually contact former Tampa Bay Bucs coach Jon Gruden and others for advice on what options his son has as far as playing professionally. But he said he’s more concerned about his son returning home to Tampa.

"At the end of the day, we’re going to keep our heads up," Gary Garcia said. "He’s going to do something good. Something good will come out of this. God has a plan for him. We don’t know yet, but it’s going to be something special."

In all 56 of the 120 FBS programs have committed a major infraction in the past 25 years, including nearly two-thirds of the automatic qualifying BCS programs.

By the way, I loved a response on Twitter from @FGrimes1 – listed as Forrest Grimes – defending Texas Tech’s three major infractions. He wrote: “Most of Techs major infractions came around the same time, way to make Tech look like a contuinously dirty program a--hole."

For Mr. Grimes’ information, Tech’s violations were not at the same time – but spaced more than 10 years apart in 1987, 1998 and on Jan. 7, 2011 – during Grimes’ current semester as a journalism major at Tech

While our two-week series is looking at whether schools can win without cheating, I think it’s important to recognize the 23 AQ BCS programs that have not committed a major infraction since 1987 … so far.

DESTIN, Fla. – South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said he was battling laryngitis so he had to speak softly. His message, though, was loud and clear: football players should receive financial compensation.

At Wednesday’s SEC spring meetings, Spurrier presented a proposal that league coaches – out of their own pockets – provide $300 a game to its players. The money would be for game expenses.

“They can give to their parents for travel, lodging, meals,” Spurrier said. “Maybe they could take their girlfriends out Saturday night and so forth.”

“A bunch of us coaches felt so strongly about it we would be willing to pay 70 guys 300 bucks a game,” Spurrier said. “That’s only $21,000 a game. I doubt it will get passed, but as the coaches in the SEC we make all the money as do the universities with television [deals]. And we need to give more to our players. That was something we need to get out there.”

Spurrier said he’s felt this way for years, especially how much money is made in college athletics by the universities and coaches.

“I just wish there was a way to give our players a little bit piece of the pie,” Spurrier said. “It’s so huge right now. As you know 50 years ago there was not any kind of money and the players got full scholarships. Now they’re still getting full scholarships and the money in the millions.

“I don’t know how to get it done. Hopefully there’s a way to get our guys that play football, a little piece of the pie. The coaches make so much, we ‘d be willing to pay it so there’s no additional expense to the university or anybody.”